JEDDAH: At a time when anti-smoking campaigners are calling for an increase in cigarette duty to discourage smokers, a source at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said there would be no increase in cigarette tariffs.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the GCC is committed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and that this commitment does not allow GCC countries to increase cigarette duty by over 100 percent, which is already implemented. “In order to increase it, we have to be involved in negotiation with more than 120 member countries of the WTO,” he said.

He added that a meeting of GCC ministries of finance, custom and health is to be held next month to discuss the issue.

Newspapers in the Kingdom recently reported a SR1 increase on packets of cigarette, an increase of 20 percent. Asa’ad Jawhar, an analyst, said the slight increase would not stop smokers from buying cigarettes.

“The price is not high enough to discourage smokers from buying cigarettes. If we compare the prices of cigarettes in the Kingdom with European countries and the United States, we will find that our prices are 50 percent cheaper than the price in EU countries and the US. In Italy, for example, the price of a pack of cigarettes is the equivalent of SR23,” he said.

“There is no proper action being taken in the Kingdom to put an end to smoking,” he said, “most decisions on issues are not implemented. For example, the decision to ban smoking in public places has still not been implemented. The increase in the price of cigarettes has not been enough to stop minors from buying them. Moreover, the media has not played a role in increasing awareness about the dangers of smoking.” He added that smokers are ill and addicted to tobacco.

Suleiman Al-Sabbi, secretary general of the Anti-Smoking Society in Riyadh, said the increase is a result of the economic situation. He added that huge awareness campaigns have been undertaken to highlight the dangers of smoking, yet the implementation of rules banning smoking is very difficult. He further urged the authorities to increase cigarette duty by at least 50 percent.

“There are studies conducted in the UK and the US that said a 100 percent increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce the number of smokers by 30 percent. I know one person who stopped smoking because of the SR1 increase,” he added.